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opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Raw data for "Host-interactor screens of Phytophthora infestans RXLR proteins reveal vesicle trafficking as a major effector-targeted process"

This dataset contains raw and original images, phylogenetic tree files, sequence alignment files used for phylogenetic tree construction and unprocessed data for figures presented in the manuscript titled "Host-interactor screens of Phytophthora infestans RXLR proteins reveal vesicle trafficking as a major effector-targeted process". Each zip file contains raw data for each figure in the manuscript. A version of the manuscript is available on bioRxiv with doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.24.308585.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Host manipulation by an ichneumonid spider ectoparasitoid that takes advantage of preprogrammed web-building behaviour for its cocoon protection

Host manipulation by parasites and parasitoids is a fascinating phenomenon within evolutionary ecology, representing an example of extended phenotypes. To elucidate the mechanism of host manipulation, revealing the origin and function of the invoked actions is essential. Our study focused on the ichneumonid spider ectoparasitoid Reclinervellus nielseni, which turns its host spider (Cyclosa argenteoalba) into a drugged navvy, to modify the web structure into a more persistent cocoon web so that the wasp can pupate safely on this web after the spider's death. We focused on whether the cocoon web originated from the resting web that an unparasitized spider builds before moulting, by comparing web structures, building behaviour and silk spectral/tensile properties. We found that both resting and cocoon webs have reduced numbers of radii decorated by numerous fibrous threads and specific decorating behaviour was identical, suggesting that the cocoon web in this system has roots in the innate resting web and ecdysteroid-related components may be responsible for the manipulation. We also show that these decorations reflect UV light, possibly to prevent damage by flying web-destroyers such as birds or large insects. Furthermore, the tensile test revealed that the spider is induced to repeat certain behavioural steps in addition to resting web construction so that many more threads are laid down for web reinforcement.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Different genetic structures revealed resident populations of a specialist parasitoid wasp in contrast to its migratory host

Genetic comparisons of parasitoids and their hosts are expected to reflect ecological and evolutionary processes that influence the interactions between species. The parasitoid wasp, Cotesia vestalis, and its host diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, provide opportunities to test whether the specialist natural enemy migrates seasonally with its host or occurs as resident population. We genotyped 17 microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial genes for 158 female adults of C. vestalis collected from 12 geographical populations, as well as nine microsatellite loci for 127 DBM larvae from six separate sites. The samplings covered both the likely source (southern) and immigrant (northern) areas of DBM from China. Populations of C. vestalis fell into three groups, pointing to isolation in northwestern and southwestern China and strong genetic differentiation of these populations from others in central and eastern China. In contrast, DBM showed much weaker genetic differentiation and high rates of gene flow. TESS analysis identified the immigrant populations of DBM as showing admixture in northern China. Genetic disconnect between C. vestalis and its host suggests that the parasitoid did not migrate yearly with its host but likely consisted of resident populations in places where its host could not survive in winter.

Figure 4. from: Melampyrum sylvaticum as a pre-diapause host plant of the scarce fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) in Finland - Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5610 (17 July 2015) https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e5610

Figure 4. - Euphydryas maturna habitat in a commercial, thinned pine-dominated forest with ca. 30-year old trees, and in a clear-cut edge. This kind of forest habitat is probably suitable after thinning for several years, but longer than spruce-dominated forests (Fig. 3). Also, edge habitats in these relatively dry habitats overgrow somewhat slower than in moister edges (Fig. 2).

Figure 5. from: Melampyrum sylvaticum as a pre-diapause host plant of the scarce fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) in Finland - Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5610 (17 July 2015) https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e5610

Figure 5. - Powerline habitat of Euphydryas maturna. Vegetation under powerlines is kept open continuously, so powerline habitats may function both as breeding places and dispersal corridors.

Figure 3. from: Melampyrum sylvaticum as a pre-diapause host plant of the scarce fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) in Finland - Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5610 (17 July 2015) https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e5610

Figure 3. - Euphydryas maturna habitat in a commercial, thinned spruce-dominated forest. Such habitats are probably suitable after thinning for several years.

Figure 2. from: Melampyrum sylvaticum as a pre-diapause host plant of the scarce fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) in Finland - Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5610 (17 July 2015) https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e5610

Figure 2. - Clear-cut edge habitat of Euphydryas maturna. Clear-cut edges typically remain suitable for breeding for some years only until they become overgrown by tall grasses and tree seedlings.

Figure 1. from: Melampyrum sylvaticum as a pre-diapause host plant of the scarce fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) in Finland - Biodiversity Data Journal 3: e5610 (17 July 2015) https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e5610

Figure 1. - Larval web of Euphydryas maturna on Melampyrum sylvaticum in Sipoo, S Finland (November 2nd, 2014).

opencc-by-4.0May 2017View details →

Data used in the article "Cryptic disease-induced mortality may cause host extinction in an apparently-stable host-parasite system"

These data files include all the capture-history matrices that were used in the article, including two matrices with the age of captured individuals (adults or juveniles) according to the definition presented in the main text. Infection intensity (zoospore equivalents per swab) is provided in separate files for all Rhinoderma darwinii and Eupsophus contulmoensis individuals that tested positive for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection. Also, the R code used for the fully paramaterized matrix population model 1 (including figures) is provided. Other codes used to analyze our data, especifically capture-recapture models, were obtained from Kéry and Schaub 2012 (Bayesian population analysis using WinBUGS. A hierarchical perspective. Waltham, USA: Academic Press.)

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

Data from: Exploring hymenopteran parasitoid communities and their hosts: A comparative study of farmland and semi-natural ecotones with focus on pentatomoid bugs and their antagonists

Here, we provide abundance data, the respective R-script and R-readable data files from a small-scale study on hymenopteran parasitoid communities and their hosts, with special focus on pentatomoid bugs and their egg parasitoids. This comparative study was conducted in farmland and semi-natural ecotones from June to September 2020 in South Tyrol, Italy. The fauna was sampled during four sampling events with sweep netting, beat netting, yellow pan traps, Malaise traps and visual inspections. Arthropods were identified to order level, hymenopteran parasitoids to family level, pentatomoid bugs to species level and egg parasitoids of pentatomoids as far as possible to species level. If identification was not possible, pentatomoid parasitoids were left at genus level. The abundance data collected with each survey method were pooled per survey events and survey site.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2023View details →

Data and Code: Host-derived organic acids enable gut colonization of the honey bee symbiont Snodgrassella alvi

Raw data and codes underlying the CFU count, qPCR, metabolomics, and NanoSIMS data for the paper "Host-derived organic acids enable gut colonization of the honey bee symbiont Snodgrassella alvi". Data is subdivided by main figure in the paper. Additionally, raw GC-MS datafiles (.cdf) are provided in separate folders.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

Data for "Host starvation and in hospite degradation of algal symbionts shape the heat stress response of the Cassiopea-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis"

Raw data associated with the publication "Host starvation and in hospite degradation of algal symbionts shape the heat stress response of the Cassiopea-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis". Temperature profile, daily measurements, physiological measurements, elemental analysis, NanoSIMS data, and cell density data are included as individual tabs in the Excel file.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Data from: Extreme heat reduces host and parasite performance in a butterfly-parasite interaction

Environmental temperature fundamentally shapes insect physiology, fitness, and interactions with parasites. Differential climate warming effects on host versus parasite biology could exacerbate or inhibit parasite transmission, with far-reaching implications for pollination services, biocontrol, and human health. Here, we experimentally test how controlled temperatures influence multiple components of host and parasite fitness in monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and their protozoan parasites Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. Using five constant temperature treatments spanning 18-34°C, we measured monarch development, survival, size, immune function, and parasite infection status and intensity. Monarch size and survival declined sharply at 34°C, as did infection probability, suggesting that hot temperatures decrease both host and parasite performance. The lack of infection at 34°C was not due to greater host immunity or faster larval development but could instead reflect the thermal limits of parasite invasion and within-host replication. In the context of ongoing climate change, our experiment suggests that temperature increases above the upper thermal range will reduce the fitness of both monarchs and their parasites, with lower infection rates potentially mitigating the impact of extreme heat on future monarch abundance and distribution.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Data from: The interactive effects of heat stress, parasitism, and hostplant quality in a host-parasitoid system

Species interactions are expected to change in myriad ways as the frequency and magnitude of extreme temperature events increase with anthropogenic climate change. The relationships between endosymbionts, parasites, and their hosts are particularly sensitive to thermal stress, which can have cascading effects to other trophic levels. We investigate the interactive effects of heat stress and parasitism on a terrestrial tritrophic system consisting of two hostplants (one common, high-quality plant and one novel, low-quality plant), a caterpillar herbivore, and a specialist parasitoid wasp. We used a fully-factorial experiment to determine the bottom-up effects of the novel hostplant on both the caterpillars' life history traits and the wasps' survival, and the top-down effects of parasitism and heat shock on caterpillar developmental outcomes and herbivory levels. Hostplant identity interacted with thermal stress to affect wasp success, with wasps performing better on the low-quality hostplant under constant temperatures but worse under heat shock conditions. Surprisingly, caterpillars consumed less leaf material of the low-quality hostplant to reach the same final mass across developmental outcomes. In parasitized caterpillars, heat shock reduced parasitoid survival and increased both caterpillar final mass and development time on both hostplants. These findings highlight the importance of studying community-level responses to climate change from a holistic and integrative perspective and provide insight into potential substantial interactions between thermal stress and diet quality in plant-insect systems.

opencc-zeroJan 2024View details →

Data from: Parasite-mediated changes in host traits alter food web dynamics

Parasites commonly alter the phenotype of their host, thereby influencing competitive and consumer-resource interactions. This could trigger a cascade effect on the dynamics of biological communities, but the role of parasites in ecosystem processes is poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how parasite-induced trait modifications shape the dynamics of a complex lake food web using an allometric trophic network model (ATN). We simulated infections of stage-structured fish host populations via increased maintenance costs and predation risk. Our results show that host trait modifications can significantly impact host demography, with stage-specific biomass declines up to 60%. However, less severely affected host stages buffered these effects and sustained the population. Importantly, host biomass decline altered the dynamics of species interactions and these effects cascaded through the entire community, with biomass changes observed at all trophic levels. Our findings emphasize the importance of incorporating both indirect parasite effects and host life history in ecological network studies for more realistic simulations of community dynamics.

opencc-zeroFeb 2024View details →

Data for: Biomechanical adaptations enable phoretic mite species to occupy distinct spatial niches on host burying beetles

Niche theory predicts that ecologically similar species coexist by minimising interspecific competition through niche partitioning. Therefore understanding the mechanisms of niche partitioning is essential for predicting interactions and coexistence between competing organisms. Here we study two phoretic mite species, Poecilochirus carabi, and Macrocheles nataliae that coexist on the same host-burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides and use it to 'hitchhike' between reproductive sites. Field observations revealed clear spatial partitioning between species in distinct host body parts. P. carabi preferred the ventral side of the thorax, whereas M. nataliae were exclusively found ventrally at the hairy base of the abdomen. Experimental manipulations of mite density showed that each species preferred these body parts, largely regardless of the density of the other mite species on the host beetle. Force measurements indicated that this spatial distribution is mediated by biomechanical adaptations, because each mite species required more force to be removed from their preferred location on the beetle. While P. carabi attached with large adhesive pads to the smooth thorax cuticle, M. nataliae gripped abdominal setae with their chelicerae. Our results show that specialist biomechanical adaptations for attachment can mediate spatial niche partitioning among species sharing the same host.

opencc-zeroFeb 2024View details →

Data from: In vitro competition between two transmissible cancers, and potential implications for their host, the Tasmanian devil

Since the emergence of a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFT1), in the 1980s, wild Tasmanian devil populations have been in decline. In 2016, a second, independently evolved transmissible cancer (DFT2) was discovered raising concerns for survival of the host species. Here, we applied experimental and modelling frameworks to examine competition dynamics between the two transmissible cancers in vitro. Using representative cell lines for DFT1 and DFT2, we have found that in monoculture, DFT2 grows twice as fast as DFT1 but reaches lower maximum cell densities. Using co-cultures, we demonstrate that DFT2 outcompetes DFT1: the number of DFT1 cells decreasing over time, never reaching exponential growth. This phenomenon could not be replicated when cells were grown separated by a semi-permeable membrane, consistent with exertion of mechanical stress on DFT1 cells by DFT2. A logistic model and a Lotka-Volterra competition model were used to interrogate monoculture and co-culture growth curves respectively, suggesting DFT2 is a better competitor than DFT1, but also showing that competition outcomes might depend on the initial number of cells, at least in the laboratory. We provide theories how the in vitro results could be translated to observations in the wild and propose that these results may indicate that although DFT2 is currently in a smaller geographic area than DFT1, it could have the potential to outcompete DFT1. Further, we provide a framework for improving the parameterization of epidemiological models applied to these cancer lineages, which will inform future disease management.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

Figure 1 in Contribution to the knowledge of Parichoronyssus bakeri Morales-Malacara and Guerrero, 2007 (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae): new locality and host-association records with additional molecular data

Figure 1 Light Microscopy images of the female Parichoronyssus bakeri. A – General view of the ventral idiosoma; B – General view of the dorsal idiosome; C – Close up of sternal shield; D – Close up of genital and anal shields; E – Gnathosoma and coxa of the Leg I, with the black arrow pointed out the spine-like projection; F – Close up of the dorsal shield. Scales: A and B 50µm, C-F 20µm.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2024View details →

Data and scripts for Co-phylogeny, narrow host breadth and local conditions drive highly specialized bird-haemosporidian associations in West-Central African sky islands

This document includes the raw datafiles, host and parasite phylogenies and r-code use to conduct analyses for "Co-phylogeny, narrow host breadth and local conditions drive highly specialized bird-haemosporidian associations in West-Central African sky islands". Please see the readme file to get more detailed information about each file.